Rainbow Laughs
by Loving Your Smile
Summary: He's always been in love with her and he's always loved to make her laugh. One shot!


**A/N Haven't written stuff for this pairing in forevvvvver!**

**Also, back from camp!**

He had seen her for the first time from a distance.

He'd been standing on the ground, but it'd felt like he'd been knocked of his feet. For, you see, she was spread across the sky. An archway of colors, under which happiness was imminent. She was a happy child, dancing along her rainbow and he, being a god, could see her, beaming as she twirled.

"Who is she?" he'd asked his father, who only chuckled.

"That's Iris. She's just like you," Zeus had told him.

"What do you mean, like me? Does her mommy call her a troublemaker, too?" He was eager, looking up at his father wide-eyed.

Zeus smiled as he shook his head. "No, she's a messenger, too. She has the same job as you."

"Oh."

It didn't take him long for him to be smitten with the girl.

Time passed, and she grew beautiful, as all goddesses did. Only, she was quiet about it. She didn't smear creams and kohl onto her face. She didn't weave her hair into interesting braids. She was natural. Organic. Her hair tumbled down in tawny waves, and she wore shoes only when she had to.

And she laughed.

He loved to make her laugh.

She didn't laugh at his dumb jokes, though, like some girls did. Some girls laughed at everything, even when he wasn't trying to be funny.

But Iris was different. She laughed only when she was amused, and if he made a joke she didn't like, she would tell him.

And then he would feel terrible and awful and there would be this flame of regret in his belly but he couldn't understand why it was so strong.

It didn't take him long to realize he was in love with the girl.

And then they were grown up and supposedly mature, although he still tried to make her laugh. It was like the sound of sunshine, and happy things. The sound of the rainbow.

They became friends, which was more than he could have ever asked for. They ate lunch together, and he would tell her things he'd never told anyone before. She'd tell him things too, but he didn't know if anyone else knew. He'd like to think they didn't.

But he learned a lot. She loved the feeling of grass between her toes and sunshine on her face. She hated how quiet winter was. She liked to sing but she was too self-conscious to sing in front of anyone. Sometimes she worried that people would never see her as an adult, being the goddess of something so juvenile as a rainbow.

And with every word he would fall a little bit more in love with her and he wouldn't know why.

"Listen, Hermes. You've waited this long, you'd better make a move on her soon," Apollo told him one day. Apollo was like Hermes' older brother; he looked out for him and gave him advice.

"But Apollo, what am I going to do? What do I say?" Hermes began nervously. It was odd, because Hermes was rarely nervous.

Apollo grinned. "You go up to her and you kiss her, that's what you do!"

"Are you crazy? She'd think I was a complete psycho! She'd probably punch me in the face!"

"I've seen the way she looks at you, man. There's no way she'd punch you."

Hermes shook his head. Apollo didn't know her like he did. He couldn't do something like that.

Because what if it changed everything? And what if it changed everything in a way he didn't want?

He just wanted to love her.

And so, to possibly spare his heart and their friendship, he restrained himself from kissing her. It didn't help that she had the adorable habit of biting her lip when she was deep in thought. It didn't help that she was beautiful.

Their friendship was easy. Light.

He worried they weren't as close as he thought, and he worried that he was forcing their friendship, so he made an effort to put less effort into it.

But slowly, this caused them to grow apart.

Weeks passed. They did nothing more but greet each other or exchange pleasantries when they ran into each other.

Hermes was confused. Upset. How could he have let things get this way? They barely spoke. Her laughter was gone from him now.

He would have to do it.

He would have to kiss her.

Yes, he would finally do it. After all this time, after all the waiting and rejecting other women and tearing himself apart, he would kiss her. He could imagine it. He would make a joke and she'd be mid-laugh and then he'd just do it. He'd kiss her and then they would never go back to being friends or acquaintances or co-workers. He would be hers and she would be his.

So he would do it.

The next opportunity he got.

That day, he found time to be dragging slower than ever before. He hadn't seen her that morning on his usual run. He'd tried to see her at the Palace, but she hadn't been there when he had. The afternoon was coming to an end when finally, she found him. He was walking out of Morpheus' after having delivered a message.

"Hey, Hermes!"

The way she said his name.

Perfect.

"Oh, hey, Iris!" He tried to hide his enthusiasm. This was it. He was about to kiss her. They were standing inches apart.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. A million thoughts ran through his head. _I should kiss her. I shouldn't. I should run before I do something stupid. I should-_

"I have a message for you," she said, handing him a scroll tied with a thin blue ribbon.

"Oh." He took the scroll and put it in his bag without bothering to read it.

"Well, I-" she began, but he interrupted her by putting his lips to hers.

He put everything into that kiss. All the longing; all the love. Everything he dreamed of with her and everything he feared.

She pulled away first, after a long moment.

He couldn't help but notice her eyes were very shiny.

"Hermes."

This time his name did not bring a feeling of joy. He could sense bad things in that tone. Disapproval. Shock. Fear? He wanted to hurt himself.

"I… I wish," she started. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, and he could see for sure this time that they were brimming with tears. "I'm sorry, Hermes," she said in a soft voice, "but it's too late for that."

He wanted to ask her why but he found that his voice wasn't working.

"But," she managed before letting a tear to slip, "I'm getting married. To Zephyrus. He's- he's wonderful but- well, he's wonderful. I- I'm sorry," she whispered, as tears rained from her bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," Hermes repeated softly, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. He ran his fingers down her jaw.

She sniffled.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"Because… I… I lo- I'm sorry."

He felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt like he wanted to die. He wanted to rip out his hair and he wanted to kill Zephyrus, the West Wind, and he wanted to burst into tears all at once. But mostly he just wanted her to take it back.

"Don't be. I shouldn't have."

"I just wish you would've done that sooner," she said almost inaudibly.

Hermes felt the urge to pound his head against a wall.

"So do I."

"Hermes?"

He didn't want to respond because he was afraid she would hear the tears in his voice.

"Hermes?"

Her voice cracked.

"I should go," he said. And he did, leaving the girl with the rainbow laugh to weep in front of a cave.

The message turned out to be from the man he both despised and wished to be.

_Hermes,_

_I know you love her and I know you don't want to read this anymore than I want to write it, but just know that I'm sorry. But I love her so much. And please, don't tell her I sent this. She'd be hysteric._

_Zephyrus_

Things were only getting worse. Not only was she in love with _him_, clearly the wrong man, but also the wrong man was actually kind, and respectful. Hermes couldn't even hate him. He wasn't even allowed that.

At least she would be happy with him.

_Wouldn't she?_

**A/N I hate sad things. I don't think I wrote this sad thing very well.**

**But nonetheless, this is a sad thing! :'(**

**Anyways, yeah, it's kinda different than what I usually write. It's a bit melodramatic but I don't know. It just kinda happened.**

**Well, don't forget to reviewwwwww!**

**And why should you do that?**

**Because I'll... I'll... Eat you! No, wait. I won't eat you. I will... um... give you good things! Good things that have yet to be decided. Heh.**

**xx**

**Ali**


End file.
